Bad At Sports

The Bad at Sports podcast has no pretensions of critiquing art in the Chicago creative community and beyond in a structured way, but it does bridge the gap between formal commentary and accessible dialogue on the politics of the art world. The origins of the weekly podcast trace back to a 2005 bar outing during which Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie were planning an exhibition at abstract artist Michelle Grabner's Chicago gallery. Holland and MacKenzie were particularly steadfast about their podcast's hosts and correspondents being known as nothing more than "artists with beer, a microphone, and a desperate enthusiasm for art". As such, Bad at Sports topics have ranged from the pedestrian and even silly, to the more high-minded, and sometimes controversial. What is most noteworthy about the podcast's discussions is that even though its perspective is that of art-world insiders the ideas are always relayed in a straightforward and unaffected way. Although Bad at Sports can try your patience with its rambling asides that descend into self indulgence (an otherwise brilliant David Shrigley interview only began after extended digressions about past shows, frilly pirate shirts, and Duncan's concern over whether he was "smart or funny anymore"). By the time you get to the end of an episode, however, the hosts will have redeemed and endeared themselves to you.